When he was lopped off the Buffalo Sabres training camp roster before September had even ended, Colton Gillies wasn't sure what to think or, for that matter, where his career was headed.

He wouldn't turn 25 until February and had played all of the past two seasons — and three of the previous five — in the NHL. And now one of the worst teams in the league was telling him he couldn't play for them.

Not only that, but the Sabres wouldn't even appease him by offering a two-way contract. He was forced to settle for a one-year American Hockey League contract, a deal that wouldn't allow him to leave even if another organization wanted him on its NHL roster.

"I was upset when I got cut from the Sabres, and even when they signed me to an American League deal it was a little distressing," said Gillies, who became a free agent in July when he wasn't re-signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"You don't want to go backwards; you never want to go backwards."

The disappointment was never evident in his play, however. Now, with the final weekend of the regular season upon them, Gillies has only become more valuable to the Amerks.

He scored two goals in Wednesday's 4-1 victory at Utica, a win that clinched a trip to the post-season. The Amerks will finish seventh in the Western Conference and await to find out their opponent for the best-of-five first-round series: either the Chicago Wolves, Toronto Marlies or the defending Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins.

"He does whatever you ask," coach Chadd Cassidy said of the 6-foot-4, 210-pound swift-skating left winger. "When I had my first conversation with Colton, the first thing he said was, 'I just want to play hockey.' He was committed to being a Rochester American."

Those goals on Wednesday — the first snapped a 1-1 tie and the second, just 6:46 later, provided a 3-1 lead — were more aberration than the norm. He entered the game with 8 goals, 13 assists and 21 points in 63 games.

The hands of a hockey Picasso — like Joe Thornton or Sidney Crosby — he does not possess. But he can skate exceptionally well for a big winger and he knows his role. So do opposing defensemen.

"I like to think that every time I go out there people know I'm on the ice," said Gillies, who was drafted 16th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2007.

His line with rookie Tim Schaller (6-2, 213) at center and Brayden Irwin (6-5, 223) on right wing have become an effective tone-setting line. They're willing to vigorously play the body, cycle the puck and drive to the net.

"Our goal is to get the puck out of our end quickly, get it in the other end and go to work," Schaller said.

They started to do that exceptionally well in the second period on Wednesday and helped the Amerks gain momentum.

"They consistently give us, one, momentum, and two, an example of how we need to play," Cassidy said. "They're getting pucks behind defensemen, they're moving their feet and they're playing the body. It makes it a bit of a nightmare (for opponents), knowing those big bodies are coming at them."

That's not an easy role to play during a 76-game AHL regular season. The body starts to ache, especially since shot-blocking and penalty killing are every-night duties.

The demand for creating havoc becomes even more of a requisite during the playoffs. Gillies understands that very well. He played 24 Calder Cup playoff games with the Houston Aeros in 2010-11, losing in the finals to the Binghamton Senators.

He hasn't forgotten a thing about it. The victories, the agony or the ice packs.

"It was so intense; I was so sore," he said. "That was the best experience I've ever had in hockey."

KEVINO@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/@kevinoDandC

Hockey night

The matchup:

Amerks vs. Syracuse Crunch (affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning).

Time/place:

7:05 p.m. Friday/Blue Cross Arena at the Rochster Community War Memorial.

Tickets:

A special $10.

Records:

The Amerks are 36-27-6-5 and locked into seventh place in the AHL's Western Conference. Syracuse is 30-31-4-9 and 12th in the East.

Awards night:

Team awards will be presented in a pre-game ceremony scheduled for 6:54 p.m.